Handmade Heaven
| format = | recorded = | studio = | genre = |electro}} | length = | label = Atlantic | writer = Marina Diamandis | producer = Joel Little | prev_title = Baby | prev_year = 2018 | next_title = Superstar | next_year = 2019 | misc = }} }} "Handmade Heaven" is a song by Welsh singer Marina, formerly known as Marina and the Diamonds. It was released on 8 February 2019 as the lead single from her fourth studio album Love + Fear. It is her first single as a solo lead artist since "Blue" in 2015; her last appearance was on English electronic band Clean Bandit's 2018 single "Baby". Written solely by Marina, it was produced by Joel Little. Background About the song, Marina said on Twitter: "When people hear the first song they'll probably think 'Oh, I think I know what this album is gonna sound like'. But they have noooooo idea". It is her first solo single since "Blue" (2015), and serves as the lead single from her "contemporary pop" fourth studio album. Composition "Handmade Heaven" is a "melodramatic" and "ethereal" pop and electro lullaby that contains an operatic form. The song was written by the singer and was produced by Joel Little. It contains layered vocals that create a "hymnal effect" in the song's verses. Katherine Gillespie, writing for Paper, compared the song to the work of Lana Del Rey and Madonna's 1998 studio album Ray of Light. Pranav Trewn of Consequence of Sound compared the song to Lorde. Lyrically, the song is about an untouchable paradise. Critical reception Mike Wass of Idolator described the song as "achingly pretty and not at all indicative of what’s in store for us on her 4th LP." Jordan Miller, writing for Breathe Heavy, praised Diamandis' songwriting, stating that "a song about daydreaming feels pretty perfect." Carolyn Bernucca of ''Complex'' magazine highlighted "Handmade Heaven" as one of the best songs of the week, saying Diamandis "sounds as divine as her single's title would suggest", while describing the song as "dreamy and romantic". Promotion Marina teased the track for several days on her Twitter, first stating that the title of her next single began with the letter "H". Fans later found the title through Spotify, and Marina confirmed the title, tweeting that her management called her fanbase "the Sherlock Holmes of fanbases" after finding it. On 8 February, an accompanying music video was released. Music video The music video for "Handmade Heaven" was directed by Sophie Muller. It was filmed in Tallinn, Estonia, and was released the morning of the single's release. The video sees Marina dancing through a "picturesque" snowscape while wearing red lipstick and a red puffer. Robin Murray of Clash called the video "striking" and featuring "a fragile, human, but emphatically creative MARINA." Track listing *'Digital download' #"Handmade Heaven" (Krystal Klear Remix) – 6:57 Personnel Adapted from Tidal. * Marina – lead artist, vocals, songwriter * Joel Little – production, engineering, keyboards, synthesizer, drum programming, percussion * Dan Grech-Marguerat – additional programming, mixing * Dave Kutch – mastering Charts References Category:2019 singles Category:2019 songs Category:Marina and the Diamonds songs Category:Music videos directed by Sophie Muller